When facing a serious illness, understanding the difference between hospice and palliative care can help ensure you receive the right support. Here’s a simplified look at how these two types of care differ and what they offer. 

Palliative Care 

• Focus: Aims to improve the quality of life for patients with serious or life-limiting illnesses by easing symptoms and stress. 
• When It Starts: Can begin at any stage of the illness, even while undergoing curative treatments. 
• Treatment Management: Addresses symptoms like pain, depression, fatigue, and anxiety, focusing on overall comfort. 
• Coordination of Care: Provided by a team of nurse practitioners and nurses working with your doctors and can be given alongside other treatments. 
• Support: Includes visits from nurse practitioners, with social workers and chaplains available as needed during regular office hours Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. 



Hospice Care 

• Focus: Designed for patients with a terminal diagnosis and a life expectancy of six months or less, focusing on comfort when a cure is no longer possible. 
• Level of Support: Provides extensive support for both patients and their families, including emotional support, caregiver training, and grief counseling. Offers 24/7 access to a care team. 
• Care Structure: Includes visits from various professionals such as nurse practitioners, RNs, LPNs, hospice aides, chaplains, and social workers, with tailored visits based on the patient’s needs with oversight from the medical director. 
• End of Life Care: Emphasizes maintaining comfort and dignity, providing pain management, durable medical equipment, and additional supplies as needed. Inpatient care is available for emergencies.

Both hospice and palliative care are about improving quality of life and providing support. Knowing their differences can help you choose the care that best fits your needs. If you have more questions, feel free to reach out for more information.